gibbs



L. H. GIBBS. Breech-Loading Fire-Arm.

Patented Jan. 8, 1856 W'ihu 5 se N4PETERS FHOTO-LITKOGRAFNER, WASHINGTON, D C.

We ta...

NrrE STATES ATENT rricn.

L. H. GIBBS, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 3,057, dated January 8, 1856.

E0 M5 2072,0712, it may concern:

Be it known that I, L. H. GIBBS, of the city,

. county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aside view, Fig. 2 alongitudinal section, and Fig. 3 a cross-section at the line A a of Fig. 2.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to that class of firearms in whichthe charge is inserted into the barrel through the rear end thereof and my said invention consists in hanging the barrel at some point between its two ends on a sliding and turning j oint, in combination with the connecting of the said barrel by a joint-link with a lever below jointed in turn to the stock or lock-frame, so that by moving the said lever downward and forward the barrel shall befirst pushed forward to open the breech and then elevated to bring the open end thereof above the fixed breech for the insertion of the charge, and then by moving the said lever back to its original position the rear end of the barrel shall be depressed and then drawn back against the fixed breech to close the rear end thereof; and my said invention also consists in combining with a sliding barrel made with the rear or breech end open, a fixed breechpin which fits the bore of the rear end of the barrel, in combination with an annular recess surrounding the said pin to receive the rounded edge of the rear end of the barrel, to prevent as much as possible the escape of gases, and in case of any escape to deflect them toward the muzzle.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents a gun-stock of any of the usual forms, to which presently described.

such that it will permitthe barrel to move back as far as the breech will permit, but to check the forward movement as soon as the rear end of the barrel clears the fixed breech-pin, to be The under side of the barrel is jointed by a joint-pin, g, with one end of a strong link, h, the said pin passing through the forward end of the link, and a projection, i, from the under side of the ban rel, extending 011 each side of the link. The rear end of the said link It is curved upward, as represented in Fig. 2, and works freely ina mortise made for that purpose in alever, j, to which the said link is connected by a jointpin, 7., back of the fulcrum-pin l, 011 whichthe said lever turns, and by which it is connected with the stock. The body of this lever, when drawn up, fits in the recess in the under part of the stock, and its rear end is held by a spring-catch, m, the outer end of which projects outward and backward that it may be conveniently pushed back by the hand to libcrate the lever, while the thumb and forefnr ger grasp aproj ecting bow, at, on the said lever for the purpose of forcing the lever down. The trigger 0 and trigger-guard are attached to the said lever, so that when the said lever is drawn up it takes the place of and resembles the usual trigger-guard plate. Care should be taken so to locate the two joint-pins of the link It and the fulcrunrpin Z that when the lever is drawn up the centers of the three shall .be in or nearly in one and the same straight line that it may effectually resist the force of the discharge; and as important in this connection the fixed breech q, properly fitted and secured to the stock, extends sufficiently down and back on each side of the lever, as at a, to e11- able the fulcrum-pin Z of the lever to pass through it. The breech q is fitted and secured to the stock by screws passing through atailpiece, 8, on top, and its projections M- on each side of the lever j are embraced by the lock plate 8 on one side, and a corresponding plate, 25, let into the stock on the other side, and the fulcrumpin 1 passes through the whole. The front face of the fixed breech is provided with a projecting cylindrical breech-pin, a, which accurately fits the bore of the rear end of the barrel, and the face of the said fixed breechis recessed, as at 1;, around the breech-pin to cor respond with and receive the rounded edge of the rear end of the barrel when drawn out.

' which it slides.

The front face of the breech-pin is made concave, and the touch-hole from the nipple w passes through the center thereof.

From theforegoing it will be seen that by pushing back the spring-catch m, and pushing the lever j downward and then forward, the barrel is first pushed forward until the rear end of the slot 6 strikes against the pin f on By that time the rear end of the barrel has cleared thebreeeh-pin, and then the further forward movement of the lever will lift up the rear end of the barrel above the line of the fixed breech, so that a charge can be readily inserted, and then by drawing the lever back and up until it is secured by the spring-catch the rear end of the barrel is first depressed and then the whole barrel is drawn back over the fixed breech-pin until the rear rounded edge of the barrel is brought up close into the recess surrounding the breech-pin. In this way, by one motion of the lever, the barrel is brought in a position to receive the charge, and by another movement of the said lever the charge is inclosed and the whole secured to confine the charge and resist the discharge.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Hanging the barrel at some point between the two ends on a sliding and turning j oint, in combination with the connecting of the said barrel back of the turning and sliding joint, by means of a j oint-link with a hand-lever having its fulcrum in the stock or breech-pin, as herein described, and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with a sliding barrel having the rear end thereof open, as described, the employment of a fixed cylindrical breechpin surrounded by an annular recess to receive the rounded edge of the barrel, as described, and for the purpose specified.

L. H. GIBBS.

Vitnesses:

WVM. H. BISHOP, CHAS. A. XVILsoN. 

